Pretty sad what happened to him, going from hardcore Sega enthusiast to complete sell-out - average joe the casual gamer. Before DieHard GameFan it was just DieHard which was a store that specialized in import titles (they advertsied in EGM and others ;) ). Dave was a part of it along with other people like Andy, Julie, and Greg. It's ironic to look back at issues of GameFan with Minotaur, the comic strip done by horrible airbrush artist Terry Wolfinger, facing off against the 'corporate evil' that supposedly was embodied in EGM (or BGM - Blowmeister Games Magazine as it was called in the strip). EGM's Steve Harris, publisher/editor in chief at that time, was represented as The Blowmeister, a cow in a three-piece suit who was likened to the epitimy of evil in gaming. They really persectued EGM for no reason, and it's funny to think about the fact that if not for EGM DieHard would've never gotten the business and publicity it did.

See in this world there's two kinds of people my friend.... there's real gamers like myself and then there's lousy sell-outs like Dave Halverson. Guess what's popular at the time? Whatever Dave is reviewing, that's what. He lacks an opinion that's not restricted to the fragmentation which occurs as a result of being a 'big player', one of several entities that gets paid the big $$$ to advertise in their magazine. I sure do miss the old Dave, even if he was bias.

Here's something a bit different for your reading pleasure. You could almost call this an editorial/special in some ways. Hope you enjoy.

---Game Concepts & Structures That Work - an Analysis---
To begin to understand just what makes a game work we must first begin by observing and understanding how the concepts take original form. As I've observed over the years, games have progressed slowly but steadily into a systematic approach, one which doesn't require the designers to actually have to do much work to accumulate new ideas or whatnot to make a game stand out. Instead, that particular field is left mostly to the programmers, the ones that develop all the fancy graphics that you see. The idea appears to be, in essence, to let the graphics and the overall genre-specified concept sell the game rather than the tangible fact that new ideas can, and most often do, breed new sub-genres and stylistic differences that help to establish a personality, if you will, distinct from all others.

Let's take a seemingly simple game concept - Marble Madness. In it the player must navigate a marble to a goal in each stage before a timer runs out. Now, that doesn't sound exciting in and of itself but the overall concept of the game is pretty unusual and somewhat interesting, if a bit peculiar to some. What gives the game so much holding interest can be attributed to three aspects which I've observed: #1 Challenge - The player is motivated to learn by reevaluating the consequences particular to each new stage design and determine the best method to accomplish the goal set before him/her. #2 Tension - The player will ultimately feel the increased pressure to perform better even in earlier stages as this has a direct effect on the timer, and the tension also manages to manifest itself aurally as well because the music is trying to get on your nerves and almost mockingly laughs at you with its dissonance. Quite a feat. #3 Interesting Stage Structures - Maybe most other people have overlooked this aspect of Marble Madness but I certainly didn't. How rare a breed of game this is; every stage has its own hazards, obstacles, and very well thought-out ideas brimming with originality. Consider the spacial relationship between a marble rolling along the uneven contours of the surface of the stages mixed in with things such as vaccums which try to suck the marble off the sides so it will fall off, acid puddles which move about without apparent consciousness and these will dissolve the marble should it come in contact, and even an antagonistic black marble which tries to ram your marble off the edge of the playing field. Those are just a select few of the many ideas present here. Cause & effect - how brilliant. Then there's ones such as a stage where you're told "everything you know is wrong" - the controls are reversed for no apparent reason other than to present another unique challenge the player must overcome. And there's no shortcuts to skill except through much trial and error. The concepts employed aren't just for show; they are an inherent part of the overall challenge, strategically placed about the stages in an increasingly troublesome patternization for the player. These cunningly well-crafted ideas were all designed for the purpose of challenge and to keep things constantly fresh. And it's all fun... extremely fun.

Next we'll take a look at the admirable game design and concepts of one of the most underrated games ever made - Kid Icarus. The concept is relatively simple: the player must navigate the angel Pitt up (and later to the side of) a stage by means of carefully timed jumps on hovering platforms and ledges, defeating/avoiding aggressive foes and hazardous things, and along the way go into rooms to buy/collect items, fight more enemies, play a jar mini-game, etc. Once the player has conquered these stages where Pitt must travel up to a set goal he is presented with a new challenge: a maze with a boss lurking somewhere nearby. This change of pace presents more ideas and attracts concepts and challenges which wouldn't necessarily work in the previous areas, such as being 'infected' by an Eggplant Wizard and needing to find a hospital where it can be treated. With the inclusion of a map, pencil, and torch available for the player to purchase, the labyrinth maze becomes an almost Zelda/Mario hybrid except for the simple fact that Pitt doesn't perform neither of the activities of Mario or Link - he jumps, ducks, shoots arrows, wields mallets, and there's not much else to say. Since his controls are so limited, Nintendo expanded on this by allowing the player to collect more items/weaponry throughout the game, such as stronger arrows, a magic shield, feathers which allow Pitt to fly in case he should fall past the bottom reaches of the screen, etc. etc. The player is rewarded for being aggressive with score and hearts. Hearts are used to buy things, and the higher the score devised by the stage end the closer Pitt comes to a level-up - yet another idea never utilized in an action game up until that point. You see, Kid Icarus is easily overlooked as being standard action fare, but what many (or most?) people don't seem to realize is just how revolutionary it was for its time. It took so many concepts we take for granted these days as being an inherent part of one or another genre and melded them together in a well-balanced and, even perhaps, I daresay, dangerously close to being superfluous manner. But it made all these concepts work in such a way as to make this game historically relevant to gaming as a whole. Can you imagine if a company took all of these ideas and utilized them in a FPS? Imagine stages where you'd have to jump upward instead of crawling through a bunch of random corridors, shooting at things with arrows and using magic, collecting items, leveling-up, and eventually going into a dungeon where a boss awaits. That's not what makes the FPS genre sell thse days. Instead, it's confined mostly to multiplayer capabilities and graphics/lighting. Since when was multiplayer made a required rule of law that makes a FPS worthwhile, or perhaps the question I should be asking is WHY? Why did this happen?

I'll tell you why I think it happened. It happened probably because of a lack of creative ideas and imagination. You have to consider the hard facts here; not much thought actually goes into the concept of FPS. You walk, you shoot, you collect stronger weaponry.... that's about it. Maybe you'll find keys or have to find a hidden entrance to somewhere in order to proceed, but that doesn't make a game fun or original in any way, does it? I actually have no qualms with the genre in and of itself -- I more than have a qualm with the lack of work that is seemingly required to sell one though. Why do people find it necessary to keep shelling out $50 after $50 to play what is essentially going to be the same game again with slightly improved visuals? In some cases this is understandable. For instance, if there's a new Contra game, and it would seemingly be a sin on the part of Konami to change it because, well, these concepts just work. And you have to consider the fact that a new Contra game doesn't happen very often, certainly nowhere near as much as new FPS games get 'manufactured'.

Why is it that certain concepts work, endure for such a long time? A great question. Let's look at the RPG genre for some answers. Most every RPG features stuff like Hit Points/Magic Points, items and magic, and hidden stuff scattered about. Precisely what, then, seperates one from the other? What gives certain RPGs a distinct personality? Actually, the answer is not restricted here. In some cases the differences can be restricted to the presentation of one particular RPG. For instance, look at the differences between Ultima and Final Fantasy presentation-wise. In Ultima the reliance is not upon the graphics but rather on ease of sophsitication, if you will. You are able to perform many different commands which are alien to most console RPGs, including FF titles, such as 'look', 'talk' (and I mean actually talk folks), 'ignite' [a torch], 'hole up' (that's camp in case you didn't know), 'ride' horses, boats, ships, magic carpets, etc. etc. The story to many Ultima titles often resembles the great tales such as Excalibur or the like, with a predestined hero that must save the lands from an evil that manifests itself often from within the confines of, but not limited to, higher establishments that hold tyranny over the peoples of the greater land of Britannia.

In an installment of Final Fantasy the presentation is what sells the game, without question. The often impressive graphics, the soundtrack, the cast of characters, and the often paronymus storylines all work hand-in-hand to sell the product. That, along with its name brand recognition. Square usually tries to employ a new 'system' so to speak with each new installment, which the company obviously hopes will make each chapter in the series feel a bit evolved and/or original from previous installments. There's nothing wrong with that, so long as the system is actually worthwhile and not just employed as a gimmick. The concept that makes FF work and sell so well has to be its ease of accessibility. Whereas in an Ultima game you must overcome harrowing challenges, in a FF title the more difficult parts are most often restricted to being optional and not in any way inclusive to the actual line traveled from point A to point B. Once again, there's nothing wrong with that. But if I could find fault with the series (especially in its more recent forms) it would have to lie in the genera of its size, namely, the false illusion that it is grandiose that makes it so great. That it is "wide in scope and grandeur in size" can actually be the one ingredient that makes it all the more a failiure, like buying ten records only to find that they sound too similar to each other. In other words, who wants to waste their time doing the same thing repeatedly as before just for the 'satisfaction' of seeing the next potentially impressive locale or whatnot? Or am I contradicting myself without fully realizing it? Structurally, FF titles, as well as many other RPGs in similar vein, play and respond very much alike and that's more cumbersome than it may appear to other people that haven't experienced this series as much, at least it appears this way to a self-supposed hardcore gamer like myself, because what this all means is that I will have to sit here for 40+ hours doing the same work I did X many times before. Why this harms the RPG genre moreso than most any other is the simple fact that time begins to give way, and expose, to the wanes of reliving the previous 40+ hours again. It's more forgiving when it's an action game like Castlevania because, even if many or most of the working elements from a previous endeavor are omnipresent, the total time to play through and--hopefully--enjoy the game is a lot less than an RPG.

Gaming has become an expensive hobby for some, a way of life for others, but probably both in most circumstances. So it's good to try and establish a flexible means of developing new games, both structurally and creatively. It's also worth noting that the voluminousness of ideas scattered about doesn't mean that a great game will come into being. Far better when one great concept is utilized in a desirable fashion than when a hundred are deployed that do nothing but sit there as content filler. Great game design is best recognized when it is in a functional manner that develops and unravels itself through the gameplay experience as it moves forward.... Just play a game like Zelda ~ Ocarina of Time and see if I'm right.

"Do you become the shining knight in order to defeat the Darkness?"...

Shining in the Darkness - Genesis - Rating 8
...So it says in the advertisement from the back of my Phantasy Star III strategy guide (which I'll have you know right now was bought solely for the artwork; the actual game, PSIII, is pretty lacking). SitD came out amidst the birth and rise of the Super NES which competed, to say the least, with such blockbuster softs as Super Mario World, F-Zero, Pilotwings, Super R-Type, Actraiser, Arcana, and much more. So for those who were too wrapped up in the idealism established by the then-mighty Nintendo, SitD remained an enigma lost between the pages of gaming publications such as Video Games & Computer Entertainment, Game Players, and even EGM which had a nice two-page spread on this fantastic RPG back in issue #26, September 1991. I do believe SitD to be superior to most anything the Super NES had to offer up to that point, and even most of what was yet to come (just look at my rating for the game!). You know why I decided to go back through this title? Two reasons: First, it's a great game. And second, up two posts where I talk about EGM/GameFan, I needed to go grab some reference material and I happened to grab none other than EGM issue #26 which I perused and came upon the splendor that is SitD again. So I felt that urge come over me--do you know the one? It's when you see something you were very fond of that brings back happy memories and this induces you to relive that nostalgic feeling yet again. An irresistible urge.
I said back in my Golden Axe review - "...and my passion for RPGing was victim yet again to the enchantment of Shining in the Darkness..." and I'm proud to say that SitD has maintained what is essentially a timeless quality to it much like a classic title from Nintendo. Sega blew me away with this RPG treasure which features (still!) some of the finest artwork ever done in any Genesis game, an utterly gorgeous and lusciously intoxicating soundtrack, and an excellent role-playing game engine and battle system from the Heavens. How can you go wrong? The artwork is by the little-known Hidehiro Yoshida and the music comes from Masahiko Yoshimura, two severely underrated people that deserve as much attention as people such as Y o s h i t a k a Amano and Nobuo Uematsu in my opinion.
The Sega team that worked on the game appears onscreen whilce the game's opening commences. You learn from King Drake and his company that his daughter Princess Jessa has been kidnapped and taken to the labyrinth by Dark Sol. You also learn that your father Mortrid, a knight whose swordsmanship has no equal in the land, has also gone missing since when he last was to escort her to the town and is supposedly somewhere inside the labyrinth. So you set out to defeat Dark Sol, rescue Jessa, and discover what has happened to your father. Pretty straightforward, isn't it?
The Map of Thornwood allows you immediate access to the labyrinth (after a few activities are performed), castle, and town. The shrine is where you go to save your quest, which is located to the immediate left of the town exit. The castle is the main location for where major events transpire. The town, obviously, is where you converse with people and purchase/sell items and equipment. After you've done all that is required and receive King Drake's permission you may enter the labyrinth, all alone...
Everything is done from a first-person perspective, much like Arcana on SNES or the dungeons in the original Phantasy Star. The labyrinth is divided into different levels (called Trials) and they progressively get much more difficult as you press on. Conquering each Trial requires that you enter, fight for experience and gold, return to the town to heal yourself at the tavern and buy better equipment, and return yet again until you've completed the Trial. When you complete a Trial the story will progress and more things occur such as better equipment becoming available for purchase. Later Trails include hazards and more dangerous battles. Remember to draw maps because memorizing every floor is probably too monumental a task for you to muster. Battling is fun and simple, but the challenge kept me coming back for more. You can do the standard RPG assortment of stuff, such as attack and use magic and items. There's tons of enemies and bosses throughout the game and they are all drawn very well. Too bad the animation is limited to 'flipping' the sprites, but that's just fine given the fact that this is only 8-MEGS we're talking about here (though Phantasy Star II is 6--some have alleged it's 7--and everything animates in that game). The locales in the town and castle have a bit of animation which is good. As you progress you will gain the assistance of companions who will join you on your journey.
This is quite a challenging game, and there's a bit of a repetitive feel to much of it since you'll revisit places you've visited time and time again. At first you might not want to deal with all the work that's required to actually make it somewhere but I personally don't have a problem with the added challange because I simply love this game. Crawling through corridors does lack a bit of personality and many people will be turned off by the tediousness of it, even if Sega does vary it a little as you progress. It's not for everybody. I found that the longer I braved the game the more involving it became and I absolutely did not want to stop until I completed my quest. Beating the game felt both relieving and - if I may use this word - important.
The music isn't the highest quality to be found on the Genesis but what's there is pleasing to my ears. You'll hear some songs quite a few times but I actually never felt it become aggravating in any way, which is strange. The sound effects are great; I especially like the squeaks and screams of the differing foes when they attack. Good stuff.
Some games are good and then some games are good, real showcases of the respected genre. This is one of them. It's too linear for me to consider giving it the much-coveted 9 or perfect 10 rating but an 8 ranks it among some of the best software out there, fitting it alongside Phantasy Star II as perhaps my favorite Sega Genesis RPGs. We need more games like this and if there's an RPG that needs another sequel it has got to be this. I recommend you give SitD a chance to grow on you. It's an "enchanting" RPG overlooked for its time.
Shining the Holy Ark (Saturn) was also a very good installment for those interested in this style of RPG.

Icarus4723735489598347856734967546 wrote:Everything is done from a first-person perspective, much like Arcana on SNES or the dungeons in the original Phantasy Star.

Ever since playing the dungeon scenes in the original Phantasy Star, I've been disappointed with similar attempts. The Sega Master System was an 8-bit system, and the dungeons moved and scrolled with incredible smoothness. Shining in the darkness' dungeons are incredibly choppy and trite in comparison, and it is on a superior system.

So you're saying that because of the animation of the movement through the labyrinth you don't think it's as good of a game? BTW, the animation is much superior to Arcana on SNES which I consider about on par with SitD.

Ah well... To each his own. You've got me curious about something; which Phantasy Star do you enjoy the most? Also, what do you personally think of PSII? (If you want to read my review of PSII you can find it on page 1 of My personal ratings.)

I like PS1 the best, and I also really liked PS2. I was actually quite saddened when Nei died. Sega killed off the female character long before Square thought of it in FF7, but it's Square who gets the noteriety for doing such a thing. PS1 was the first RPG I ever played through, and I got attached to the characters. PS2 was a great game as well, but the dungeons had poor graphics and the battle scenes were freakin' wireframe!, so I was a bit pissed at those aspects. Otherwise, though... fantastic game.

Edit:
Phantasy Star 2 is 772 KB as a stand-alone ROM. 1024 KB is 8 megabits, or 1 megabyte. 768 KB is 6 Megs, but those extra KB could have gone into headers for the ROM file or whatnot just so the emulators can tell what it is (?). So I'd say the game is 6 full Megs

Since PSII was my first venture into the series I didn't (and still don't) consider this to be a problem. Besides, since no other RPG is designed quite like it I love it all the more. Gotta admit that the blue grid background made battling Nei-First all the more dramatic (with her head glowing above her body). You actually CAN resurrect Nei, unlike Aerith whom you need a GameShark to revive. You need to acquire Moon Dew and not give it to the person that it's originally intended for; save it for the fight with Nei-First. PSI was so freaking difficult at first! I couldn't believe how cool that game was, and it's on a SMS to boot!! I just remember Chirstmas morning on our television screen, watching Space Harrier in action. And the NES was pure magic. Sure wish somebody cared as much about 2D as they used to. NEC, where are you when I need you? Make another 2D system since nobody else is willing to. I guarantee massive support, especially in Japan where they make 99% of the best games. A new 2D Valis, Ghosts N' Goblins, and Phantasy Star would be just too much for me to handle.

Legend of Oasis - Saturn - Rating 7
It used to be that whenever you'd mention the name "Yuzo Koshiro" to somebody you'd get a huge grin and this would lead to discussions about Streets of Rage 2, Revenge of Shinobi, Actraiser, Super Adventure Island, and many more great titles with incredible soundtracks.
"HEY!! YOU BACKED INTO MY CAR!!"
"Yeah, but what about Yuzo Koshiro?"
"Yuzo?..." And then inevitably would come that seemingly uncontrollable BIG SMILE. :bigsmile: All is forgiven, and the world is once again made right.
Many people don't realize just how multi-talented this man really is. He's capable of grand symphonic scores one moment and the next it's dance/trance/techno bliss... on a SEGA GENESIS for crying out loud!! (Only six channels of sound! What in the!?) And while he was crafting exceptional/interesting music, at the same time he'd be moonlighting under the guise of Director - his first labors as such would be revealed to the gaming world in 1996. Armed with the company Ancient at his command, he defied the then-current falsehoods, one such being the belief that, just like right now, 3D is the only acceptable fashion by which all games should be created. He condemned popular conventions with something considered to be an antiquity - instead of shiny plastic polygons, he used artwork to be the keystone on which this world, the sequel to Beyond Oasis (Genesis), would be rendered. Ancient indeed.
You star as Leon, a blonde dude who handles a short blade and wears a Silver Armlet. This is actually the prequel to the story of Beyond Oasis. The story goes like this: a long time ago, there was a battle between two master sorcerers and each had in their custody a magic armlet which they used to do battle (the Gold and Sliver armlets). Eventually, they both destroyed each other. Now, Leon has been 'chosen' to become the master of spirits, but in order to do so he must first overcome the evil Agito who happens to have... you guessed it... the Gold armlet. In order for Leon to defeat his arch-nemesis he must gather the power of the elementals and borrow their powers wisely, and then take back the Gold armlet.
Aside from the brief opening demonstration there isn't too much in the way of plot development to be found here, though on occasion something will transpire to further the story. Leon's controls fall somewhere between Link from Legend of Zelda and Ali from Beyond Oasis. He performs very much like Ali, who controls similar to Link in many ways, but doesn't, only Leon is more refined, like A Link to the Past, but not quite.... Ok, I give up. But rest assured that Leon's controls are rather flawless. He can jump at will, run, perform a variety of attacks, use sub-weapons (like Bow and Arrows) and items, acquire even better weapons, move objects, and can use his Silver armlet to summon elemental spirits such as Efreet from fire or Bawu from the earth; the interactivity between Leon and his environments is very impressive.
The fighting aspect is half the fun, which is relatively uncommon in action/adventure titles. No suprise--Yuzo is a huge Street Fighter fan. When you attack an enemy they display their energy meter on the bottom of the screen, and they all know how to fight. Animation-wise, expect to be very impressed. If the seemingly thousands of frames of animation on Leon himself doesn't impress you, you should give up gaming and take up another hobby. The game runs at a constant 30 FPS and everything is drawn with great attention to detail. The enemies animate on a similar level to Leon so as not to make the experience jarring in any way, and the bosses... forget it. Though sometimes pixellated, the bosses are tremendously enjoyable to do battle with and are hardy to boot. I must warn you all of one thing that this game is and is to seemingly no ends... DIFFICULT. As if fending off hordes of baddies wasn't hard enough, many of the puzzles will leave you reeling in anguish for quite some time. This game isn't for the simple-minded so all of you inexperienced adventurers need not apply here. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Do I have anything against LoO? A couple of things, but nothing too major. For one thing, I would've liked it more if there was more variety of enemies to dispose of, especially seeing as the battle system employed, put simply, rocks. Also, the colors used, while distributed very well, almost always consists of white, tan, black, and brown. I would've preferred some more variety here (a-la Magic Knight Rayearth on Saturn) but nevertheless it's still impressive. I better stop before I start nit-picking.
Although this isn't one of Yuzo's high-points as far as music compositions are concerned, here he uses a similar method to Actraiser 2 ~ very lush, mellow, and ambient atmospheric pieces throughout, with little to mix up the pace. Then again, if the music was of an epic nature it would possibly become counteractive of the very necessity that peace and quiet ensures for those tough spots where one must think hard about what is needed to be done. It's a good soundtrack but far from his best. The sound effects are absolutely excellent; Nintendo could learn something here.
This quest will last you a good 20/25+ hours time considering you're experienced at action/adventure titles to begin with. I'm proud to own such a fantastic game and have become an even better gamer because of it. Just think - this game came out at about the very same time as Shining Wisdom (Saturn) in the US and both titles, unfortunately, got overshadowed by the predacious Mario 64 and all the hype it conjured.
Legend of Oasis. By a gamer, for the gamer.

Yuzo Koshiro had no involvement in Shinobi III. He did, however, compose the music for Revenge of Shinobi.

Also, it's the TurboGrafx 16 that has 6 channels of sound (all PSG). The Genesis has 10 channels. 6 FM channels, 3 PSG channels, and 1 PCM channel. The SNES has 8 PCM channels. The Sega Master System has 3 channels (all PSG) and the NES has 5 channels.

Although not mentioned in your review, another common misconception about the Genesis is that it only has 64 colors. Wrong. It has 512. But it can only put 64 of those 512 on the screen at any given time.

Originally posted by Joe Redifer Yuzo Koshiro had no involvement in Shinobi III. He did, however, compose the music for Revenge of Shinobi.

Also, it's the TurboGrafx 16 that has 6 channels of sound (all PSG). The Genesis has 10 channels. 6 FM channels, 3 PSG channels, and 1 PCM channel. The SNES has 8 PCM channels. The Sega Master System has 3 channels (all PSG) and the NES has 5 channels.

all lies!! lies i tell you!!

Quote:

Originally posted by Joe Redifer
Although not mentioned in your review, another common misconception about the Genesis is that it only has 64 colors. Wrong. It has 512. But it can only put 64 of those 512 on the screen at any given time.

that is true.....but it is rather pointless to say that it has 512 colors.

Joe Redifer wrote:Although not mentioned in your review, another common misconception about the Genesis is that it only has 64 colors. Wrong. It has 512. But it can only put 64 of those 512 on the screen at any given time.

then Gearhound wrote: that is true.....but it is rather pointless to say that it has 512 colors.

No it isn't. it has a library of 512 colors. What would you say about a library (a real one) that only lets you check out 3 books at a time out of 65,000 books? Does the library only have 3 books because it is pointless to say it has 65,000 books?